Since August 2023, Germany has renewed control at its borders, which led to a significant increase in the number of rejection of entry for foreigners, in particular for Ukrainians. According to official statistics, every fifth of those who have been denied the border crossing is a citizen of Ukraine. In total, in 2023, more than 35 thousand people were not allowed at the German border, of which more than 15 thousand were Ukrainians.
According to Euractiv journalists, it is surprising, since Ukrainians who run away from war have traditionally received protection and temporary residence in EU countries. In addition, they have the right to travel within the Schengen recreation area without special restrictions. However, the situation has changed over the last year, and Ukrainians have new difficulties when trying to get to Germany.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Germany explained that most of the refusals of Ukrainians are related to the effort to change their place of residence without prior permission. This applies to those who have already received protection in other EU countries and are trying to move to Germany without proper documents. In some cases, the refusal was also related to the lack of necessary additional documents for tourist trips within the Schengen area.
The increase in the number of entry refusals can be the result of both the internal political decisions of Germany and changes in Europe's migration policy as a whole. As Ukrainians are one of the largest refugees in the EU, the question of their mobility and free access to different countries remains sharp. It is important to note that Ukraine continues to experience a difficult period of war, and the issue of asylum and protection for Ukrainians remains critical.
